His Holiness The XIV Dalai Lama has accepted the invitation to come here to Milan and give teachings on the 27th and 28th of June. The morning and afternoon of the 27th His Holiness will give teachings on The Three Principal Aspects Of The Path by Lama Tzong Khapa. The morning of the 28th he will give the initiation of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of compassion, and in the afternoon he will be hold a public conference. I managed to get tickets to the morning session of the 28th: the Avalokiteshvara initiation, the Buddha of Compassion.

INITIATION OF AVALOKITESHVARA, THE BUDDHA OF COMPASSION
28 June 2012 (9.30/11.30)

Initiation of Avalokiteshvara, The Buddha of Compassion

Avalokitesvara is the manifestation of the universal compassion of Buddha: he appears with this particular aspect of one thousand arms to symbolize his ability to benefit all beings. Receiving this initiation from a qualified master like His Holiness means to receive a transmission of positive energy that will permit one to create the causes to obtain the same qualities of the Divinity.

His Holiness will confer this initiation based on his great personal knowledge and after a specific preparation. It will be carried out, especially for this day, on the base of special propitiatory rites. This ceremony is open to everyone and will definitely permit one to receive great benefit and an authentic blessing of great compassion, loving kindness and non-violence.

Here are some professional photo’s from the event i attended (i was sitting way too far to get any good ones):This is pretty much the view from where i was sitting!

The Dalai Lama visiting the Duomo

HIS HOLINESS THE XIV DALAI LAMA

His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the XIV Dalai Lama, is the spiritual leader of Tibet. He was born on 6 July 1935, to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern Tibet. At the age of two was recognized as the reincarnation of his predecessor. The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and patron saint of Tibet.

He received a monastic education from principal contemporary Tibetan masters from the age of six and when he turned twenty-three he graduated with honors earning the maximum degree of Ghesce Lharampa or the equivalent to a doctorate of Buddhist philosophy.

In 1950, although he was still very young and hadn’t finished his studies, he was called upon to assume complete political power of his country due to its sudden political collapse after the Chinese invasion in 1949. After having done his best to find a peaceful solution to the situation by meeting with principal Chinese leaders, following the brutal repression of the Lhasa revolt in 1959, he was forced to flee to India.

Since then he has been living in Dharamsala, northern India, the seat of the Tibetan political administration in exile. From there he has never stopped carrying out the task of taking care of his people, both by helping the refugees in every way possible and by looking to give authenticity – always with dialogue and non violence – to the human rights in Tibet. He has also continually made an effort to preserve the integrity and culture of Tibetan society. His requests are synthesized in the Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet. This was presented to the United States Congress in 1987 and to European Parliament the following year. This peace plan proposes the transformation of the whole of Tibet into a zone of peace, the abandonment of China’s population transfer policy that threatens the very existence of the Tibetans as a people, respect for the Tibetan people’s fundamental human rights and democratic freedoms, the restoration and protection of Tibet’s natural environment and the abandonment of China’s use of Tibet for the production of nuclear weapons and dumping of nuclear waste, the commencement of earnest negotiations on the future status of Tibet and of relations between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples.

He has always opposed the use of violence and instead looked for peaceful solutions. Proponent for a more in depth understanding between nations and religions he has encountered numerous political, religious and state leaders since 1967.

As the leader of his people he gave life to the process of democratization when he abandoned all political responsibility in favor of a government in exile, democratically elected among the members of the Tibetan dispersed.

Together with his effort towards peace and his people he has continued to teach Buddhism and meditate for more than five hours daily.

His Holiness continuously gives teachings to his numerous disciples scattered throughout all parts of the world. His conferences and teachings have never had a political scope but instead have been authentic lessons in life, peace, tolerance, and compassion. The Dalai Lama has transmitted these teachings with one intention in mind, which is to give his contribution to peace and universal brotherhood. For this reason more and more people are attracted to him from all parts of the world each year.

His Holiness has three main commitments in life: on a human level it is to promote human values such as compassion, forgiveness, and tolerance; on a religious level it is to promote religious harmony and understanding among the world’s major religious traditions; and lastly it is to find a resolution for the Tibetan people.

He has also encouraged and participated in many inter-religious encounters, and met with exponents of the scientific world. He is convinced that science and religion are not contradictions as both are looking for the truth and well being of humans.

His Holiness is also the author of numerous Buddhist texts, and ones on the relationship between religion, science and the environment. During his life the Dalai Lama has received numerous honors and awards, such as the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, for his works. Apart from these official recognitions His Holiness, who considers himself “a simple Buddhist monk”, has given his life to simplicity and humility – because of his extraordinary affection for all beings, his capacity to transmit – always and in every situation – constructive messages of tolerance, peace and dialogue – the constant effort put into overcoming barriers and incomprehension with communication – and for his love for truth – he can surely be considered one of the most noted people of our time.

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About ctyoga

Christiane has been practicing yoga for over 10 years. Her yogic journey began in 2000 as a student of Swami Nirmal (now at the Satyananda Centre in London) at the Fitness First gym in Kensal Rise, London. She experienced various teachers in different Fitness Firsts in Central London and around Clapham Junction before changing gyms and meeting Alexa Kho at LA FItness in Piccadilly Circus, London. Christiane attended Alexa's Anusara classes as well as her workshops.
In January 2011 she enrolls in a 200hr Vinyasa Flow Teacher Training course with Rebecca Ffrench at YogaLondon. Vinyasa Flow is a modern form of yoga that comes from Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and follows Sri K Pattabhi Jois. She quickly become passionate of this discipline and wants to deepen her knowledge; this brings her to meet and attend many workshops with Stewart Gilchrist, Shiva Rea, John Scott, Danny Paradise...all very famous teachers around the world. Being in the presence of such teachers is a significant experience for Christiane, in terms of her yogic journey, personal transformation and growth as well as understanding of yoga.
After 11years in London, she moves to Milan to deepen and continue her journey. In Milan she teaches privately (1:1 and group classes) as well as in various yoga and dance centers. Milan is where her love for Ashtanga Vinyasa deepens and grows, bringing her to attend workshops with Lino Miele, Sharath Jois and most recently Kino MacGregor...all original students of Guruji, Sri K Pattabhi Jois. All of this culminates with a long awaited and long overdue trip to India, the birthplace of Yoga. Here Christiane deepens her practice and knowledge of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga by doing a 200hr Ashtanga Vinyasa TTC with Yogi Kamal Singh at Tattvaa Yogashala in Rishikesh India. After the monthlong course, her travels take her around India practicing with various other world renown teachers, namely with Sri V. Sheshadri in Mysore and with Rolf and Marci Naujokat in Goa.
In 2013 Christiane decides to embark on yet another yoga adventure, this time in Aerial Yoga! The course was divided into two weekends: level I in April and level II in June, after which she becomes a qualified Aerial Yoga teacher.
Teacher and student of yoga, writer, adventurous soul, creative mind, curious world traveler & lover of the outdoors. Current HQ: Milan, Italy.